Mrs. Hannah Whittier Wilstach, widow of the late Dr. Charles F. Wilstach and mother of John A. Wilstach, the well-known Lafayette attorney, died at 2 o'clock this morning. Mrs Wilstach was the oldest resident of Lafayette and on inauguration day she celebrated another birthday anniversary.
Mrs Wilstach was born in Philadelphia March 4th 1799. The family moved to Burlington, N.J., where the father was appointed postmaster. During the war of 1812, Mrs Wilstach often said she remembered seeing her father standing on a balcony reading the latest war news received by mail to the anxious crowd gathered in the streets below. Her uncle, John Lang, was editor of the New York Gazette during the revolutionary war.
Mrs Wilstach was married to Dr. Charles F. Wilstach of Philadelphia May 3, 1821.
They went to Harper's Ferry to reside. From there they moved to Washington and lived there six years. During their residence in Washington they met many of the most notable men of the time. Among them were three presidents, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The inauguration of the latter Mr and Mrs Wilstach attended in 1829. Speaking one day to a friend, Mrs W. said, "With President John Quincy Adams I enjoyed a pleasant acquaintance, his pew joining ours in the Episcopal church. I often met him at the house of a mutual friend, Mr. Bullfinch, who erected the rotunda and the first dome of the Capitol. I saw General Lafayette and was invited to dine with him at the house of my cousin, Colonel Gamble, commander of the Philadelphia navy yards. I knew John Newman, cousin of my husband, who was private secretary to Alexander Hamilton. I heard Clay, Webster, Calhoun and John Randolph speak many times. On the days when Randolph and Webster were to speak, standing room was at a premium--the galleries and first floor of the Capitol being crowded with admiring spectators who patiently waited to enjoy an oratorical feast. There was no similarity whatever in the delivery of the two man -- Randolph was all fire and action while Webster stood motionless as a statue and his speech was calm and deliberate."
In 1829 Dr. Wilstach and wife moved to Cincinnati and in 1839 they came to Lafayette where they resided until the death of the doctor in 1860. Mrs Wilstach continued to reside here. She was a woman of most pleasing address and her mind, which was clear to the last, was well stored with the writing and sayings of of the greatest writers. Despite her advanced age, her heart was young and the young people were always welcome guests.
